Antenna aiming / Charlestown, MA
Which way do I point it?

How to aim your TV antenna in Charlestown, MA

Every transmitter near Charlestown, with the compass direction and distance from town, and the one direction that picks up the most channels.

Transmitter directions from Charlestown, MA N E S W WLEK — 20° NNE, 11 mi WDPX — 142° SE, 60 mi WLWC — 171° S, 42 mi WWDP — 178° S, 26 mi WYCN — 190° S, 27 mi WJAR — 198° SSW, 37 mi WPVD — 198° SSW, 37 mi WLNE — 198° SSW, 37 mi WCEA — 198° SSW, 2 mi WPRI — 198° SSW, 37 mi WNAC — 198° SSW, 37 mi WHDT — 205° SSW, 2 mi WPXQ — 212° SSW, 72 mi WFXT — 236° WSW, 10 mi WLVI — 236° WSW, 10 mi WFXZ — 239° WSW, 10 mi WYDN — 239° WSW, 10 mi WMFP — 239° WSW, 10 mi WBPX — 239° WSW, 10 mi WHDH — 239° WSW, 9 mi WBTS — 242° WSW, 10 mi WGBH — 242° WSW, 10 mi WBZ — 242° WSW, 10 mi WCVB — 242° WSW, 10 mi WGBX — 242° WSW, 10 mi WSBK — 242° WSW, 10 mi WUTF — 265° W, 33 mi WUNI — 271° W, 22 mi WWJE — 271° W, 22 mi WMUR — 327° NNW, 50 mi WNEU — 328° NNW, 50 mi WPXG — 347° NNW, 57 mi WENH — 352° N, 55 mi Charlestown

Point South-Southwest 212° on a compass — 72 miles of range covers this whole market

22/33stations in the beam
82/127free channels
65%of what's available
The other 11 stations sit west-northwest of you (298°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
10 of these stations broadcast on VHF frequencies. Many antennas sold as "HDTV" or "4K" are UHF-only and will miss them entirely, whichever way you point.

Every transmitter near Charlestown, MA

Sorted by compass bearing, so neighbouring rows are neighbouring towers.

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WLEK Sports First TV 22 20° NNE 11 mi 7
WDPX Grit 58 142° SE 60 mi 1
WLWC Bounce TV 28 171° S 42 mi 1
WWDP Roar 46 178° S 26 mi 5
WYCN Telemundo 8 190° S 27 mi 4
WJAR NBC 10 198° SSW 37 mi 4
WPVD PBS 36 198° SSW 37 mi 4
WLNE Roar 6 198° SSW 37 mi 4
WCEA Independent 26 198° SSW 2 mi 4
WPRI CBS 12 198° SSW 37 mi 4
WNAC FOX 64 198° SSW 37 mi 4
WHDT Infomercials 3 205° SSW 2 mi 1
WPXQ Ion 69 212° SSW 72 mi 8
WFXT FOX 25 236° WSW 10 mi 5
WLVI CW 56 236° WSW 10 mi 2
WFXZ Biz TV 24 239° WSW 10 mi 1
WYDN Daystar 48 239° WSW 10 mi 1
WMFP Shop LC 62 239° WSW 10 mi 3
WBPX Ion 68 239° WSW 10 mi 7
WHDH Independent 7 239° WSW 9 mi 2
WBTS NBC 15 242° WSW 10 mi 2
WGBH PBS 2 242° WSW 10 mi 2
WBZ CBS 4 242° WSW 10 mi 5
WCVB ABC 5 242° WSW 10 mi 4
WGBX PBS 44 242° WSW 10 mi 4
WSBK Independent 38 242° WSW 10 mi 7
WUTF UniMas 27 265° W 33 mi 5
WUNI Univision 66 271° W 22 mi 5
WWJE True Crime Network 50 271° W 22 mi 1
WMUR ABC 9 327° NNW 50 mi 3
WNEU Telemundo 60 328° NNW 50 mi 5
WPXG Ion 21 347° NNW 57 mi 7
WENH PBS 11 352° N 55 mi 5

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What antenna do you need in Charlestown, MA?

How far the transmitters are, and which way they sit

The nearest transmitter is 2.2 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 11 miles.

For Charlestown we would start with a basic indoor antenna. Most of the lineup is transmitting from close by, so a flat indoor antenna in a window facing the towers should be enough.

The towers around Charlestown are spread across 238° of the compass, so no single directional antenna will reach all of them. An omnidirectional antenna picks up every direction at once but with less reach, and a rotator lets a directional antenna turn toward whichever station you want.

Learn more about choosing an antenna

Before you climb the ladder

The limits of these numbers, and how to work around them

These are true bearings, not magnetic. A compass app on your phone usually reads magnetic north, which differs from true north by a few degrees depending on where you are in the country. For antenna aiming that difference is small, but if you are lining up a long-range directional antenna it is worth checking your local declination.

Bearings are measured from the centre of Charlestown. Over the distances involved, a few miles in any direction barely moves the angle, but your own address is what ultimately matters.

Hills and buildings are not in these numbers. A transmitter 20 miles away behind a ridge can be harder to receive than one 40 miles away across flat ground. Point at the recommended bearing first, then adjust a few degrees either way while watching your TV's signal meter.

See every channel available in Charlestown, MA, including what each station carries.

Calendar

What’s on, and when

Big games, races and live events coming up on free over-the-air TV, and the channel to find each one on. Full-season schedules show which games an antenna gets you for free.

Guides

Free TV explained

Guides, reviews and explainers on getting the most out of free over-the-air TV.